Up, Up, and Away
by truenarnian
Summary: A cocky entrepreneur, a demigod who doesn't really know his way around, a man with breathtaking anger-management issues, and a couple of master assassins assemble to defend the Earth. At their helm are the soldier out of time and a girl with her head in the clouds-literally. Can they save Earth, or will they have to avenge it? Steve/OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Duty Calls…And Apparently, Shows Up at Your House, Too

"Ow!" I yelp in the middle of my kitchen. My first word of the day is an expression of pain- that's certainly optimistic. I had turned on my kitchen TV to see a news report that concerned S.H.I.E.L.D. and I had burned my tongue when I sucked my coffee down too early. S.H.I.E.L.D., of course, stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate, of which I am a proud agent.

Allow me to introduce myself. The name's Cooper, Nellie Cooper, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I've been an agent since I was 17. Currently 22 years old, I had flown up the ranks like the famed Black Widow, but only as an agent. You see, when I was younger, I was chosen for…an experiment. You know how Captain America had the Super Soldier Serum? Well, I kind of got something like that, too.

Some new journalist was on the news in front of a smoking field, one I recognized well: it used to be the location of the Tesseract's experimentation facility. I turned up the volume, concerned.

"…the facility collapsed last night, burying several people beneath the earth. The facility was known to contain the Tesseract, a volatile substance the government was experimenting on, but officials assure us that the collapse was not caused by it. There have been reports of massive quantities of limestone in this area, but no definite cause has yet been established."

"You know as well as I do that there was never any limestone in that vicinity," a no-nonsense voice said from the doorway. I turned to find a lifelong friend leaning on the doorframe, already in her uniform: Agent Hill, or as I call her, Maria.

"Did I leave the door unlocked again?" I asked, happy that I had changed out of my pajamas before coming down.

"No, I just took the spare key. You really should find a place better to hide it than under the mat," she said, setting the bronze key on my counter and hopping onto the stool next to me.

"Coffee?" I asked, just as I was finishing mine up.

"No thanks, Nells," she replied, and I shrugged. "I'm here on business, actually."

"What, does Fury need someone to teach new recruits?" I asked as I came back and leaned on the counter, across from her. I was a combat specialist, best with my own hands. I could take down a guy twice my size with nothing but gloves. Any S.H.I.E.L.D. agent needed to. There were also a few weapons under my belt- literally. I had developed a small sound gun with adjustable range, which omitted sound waves both powerful and accurate enough to disrupt or stop a heartbeat, patent pending. I also had the standard Tasers, pistol, and daggers, all of which I wielded with pride and skill. Long story short, I was a fighting expert- even Director Fury says so.

"Not really," Marie said. She looked almost nervous. As she slid a manila folder over to me, she said tentatively, "It's about the Tesseract. We need people with…certain skills. Special skills. Skills that no one else has."

I shifted uneasily. I wasn't sure where this was going, but it didn't seem like a good direction.

She continued, "A hostile force has the Tesseract, which can possibly solve the energy crisis. We need to find it before he can use it for his own purposes, and we need a response team in case he does."

"I know what you're going to ask. I've told you, my work lies with my training, not my freak enhancements."

"Nells, people fear what they can't understand. S.H.I.E.L.D. _gave _you those enhancements for one purpose: to become a better agent. You were a superhero, Nellie! You did it because you wanted people to be just a little bit safer. Well, we need someone who can both program a computer and fight for her country. Sure, maybe the world didn't exactly like you, but at least you can prove them wrong."

By now, I was aimlessly pacing around my kitchen, my slippers making slithering footsteps across the tiled floor. "What can I do? Call Dr. Bruce Banner, he can help you more than I can. No one knows gamma rays like him."

"He's already on board, along with Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers."

"Call my cousin Clint. Even he can help you. Maria, I can't do this. I can't show my face to the world after they spat in it. He can help you better than I can."

Maria reluctantly stood up, sighed, and made her way to stand across from me. "That's the problem," she said, nervously looking at the floor.

I was confused, and to be honest, a little scared. Clint Barton was my only living relative left. We had run away to the circus when we were younger, where he learned to operate a bow and arrow like a pro. We were an act: he was Hawkeye, The World's Greatest Marksman. I was his assistant. He would shoot tiny apples from right off my head. We were seventeen when we were finally allowed to go into S.H.I.E.L.D. together. We were closer than two pages in a book. Clint wasn't one to willingly submit or refuse a duty. "What exactly is the problem?"

She looked at me, face full of regret. "Nells, Loki, the god of mischief, was the hostile force that took the Tesseract. He carried some kind of scepter that he used to…to possess your cousin. I'm sorry Nellie, but Clint Barton is under the control of Loki."

I looked at her, horrified. Clint had submitted to Loki? How? My mind was reeling. I had just called him up last week! This was impossible, yet it had happened.

"Oh my God," I uttered, unable to say anything else. Maria looked at me, at a loss for words. "Is…is there any way to get him back?"

"Nells, we don't even know where he is. Loki took the Tesseract and all of our top scientists working on it. Right now, there's nothing we can do."

"There's got to be something!" I snapped. I sat back down at my counter, unable to support myself. It was then that I fully noticed the manila folder lying there. It was labeled, "Project Pegasus."

"I won't do it," I said, Maria's brow furrowing in confusion. I stared at her, walking around across from her. She gazed back intensely, wondering where this was leading. As I walked pretty much in her face, I said, "Not for you, not for Fury, not even for America."

Once I was standing right in front of my best friend, challenging her, I said, "But I will do it for Clint."

She smiled. For once, she was able to overcome my stubbornness. She must be proud.

"Thank you, Agent Cooper," she said, saluting me. "Or would you rather me call you by your alias?"

By now, you've got to be wondering what exactly my powers are. My "freak enhancements", you ask? My abilities as a superhero Maria alluded to? Well, might as well tell you: when I was 20 years old, S.H.I.E.L.D. injected me with a mixture of avian DNA and recombining agent. I was an experiment that turned out successful. My bones are hollowed and more durable than ordinary people's, my senses far excel any human's, I'm stronger than your average bodybuilder, and my fast-working mind can solve any puzzle, no matter how hard.

The crème de la crème? I have wings. Beautiful, glossy black wings. I can fly. I was made for it.

I smirked at Maria and said, "From now on, I'm officially Magpie."

I had packed everything I needed: clothes; toothbrush; sneakers; the works. My utility belt lay on the bed beside my duffel bag, my weapons already in their holsters: my sound gun went on my right hip, my pistol on my left. My two Tasers rested at the front of my hips, my daggers in hidden sheaths within the belt itself. Pretty handy, huh? For simplicity's sake, I usually clip the belt over my suit.

Realizing that I had nothing else to pack, I turned to my suit, hanging in a plastic garment bag in the back of my closet. I slowly slipped the zipper down and carefully laid the suit out over my covers, as if it would fall apart at any moment. It was a relatively close-fitting jump suit, made of pliable leather and spandex: it's not like you can wear booty shorts to battle. The top part had slices in the back, to let my wings out. It was very similar to what Black Widow wore; except mine was white, along with my utility belt and knee-high boots. My mask was also white and angular, making me look angry and fierce. It had been three years since I last wore the suit or even looked at it. I was the famous Magpie, the woman with wings; I still love to fly, actually. I live in a woodsier, more secluded area; sometimes I would just fly around through the tall tree branches. Never in public: after I had stopped a bank robbery, people became frightened of me. Wouldn't you be if you suddenly saw a lab freak? I only stopped street criminals before, nothing really major: my wings would frighten them into submission. But when I made my first public appearance, people shunned me, and I stopped my hero work. So you see why I was hesitant about my decision to join the team.

I folded it, put it in my bag, and zipped it up. I quickly changed into some jeans, a white t-shirt, and leather jacket: easy combat gear if I ever needed to fight, plus the fact that my shirt had slits in it, so I'd just rip off the jacket and I'm ready to go. All my clothes were that way. As I pulled on my boots and buckled my belt, my doorbell rang, and it was Maria again. She had gone for lunch and come back, allowing me time to get ready.

"Ready to go?" she asked. "The SUV's in the driveway. We'll be going to a military airfield, where we'll board a plane to the carrier."

I stepped out onto my stoop and looked at my house: it was a cabin, really, but a very nice one. It was going to be the last time I looked at home for at least a few days. It had been my hiding place, where no one could persecute me. But no matter how much the world hated me, I wasn't abandoning Clint.

"Let's go," I said, locking my front door and turning away. My cousin was more important than anything.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- "What'd you do today?" "Oh, you know, just met Captain America."

STEVE

I was sitting in the plane, looking over the files of the other participants, when I came across one picture that caught my eye. I combed over her notes a bit more carefully- I don't know why. She had long, straight, black hair and her eyes were a stunning blue. You couldn't have looked for a more beautiful color if you went straight to the ocean. She looked fierce and intoxicating. I read the name below the identification: Nellie Cooper. It has a nice ring to it. I went down to her background information, and it shocked me- both what was done to her, and the realization that she and I were actually quite similar. We were both lab rats for the government, until either we were exiled from the public or made into a sales gimmick. But _wings! _I had never dreamed of that possibility—but then again, science fiction, or sci-fi, as they call it, was never really popular in the 40's.

"Here's our plane," a voice said, jerking me back into the real world. A short-haired woman came into view, wearing an official S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. She continued, "The carrier's about ten miles off the coast, so the ride should only be around fifteen minutes."

"Thanks, Maria," another woman said. Her voice was strong, if not a little sarcastic. Jokingly, she remarked, "I'm not complaining, but why not take a powerboat instead? You know how I get around confined spaces."

"If we took a boat, we'd never reach the top of the carrier in the first place," the first woman, apparently Maria, said. "Suck it up and get in." By their banter, you could tell they were very good friends.

The second woman came into the plane, and I experienced some déjà vu, until I realized that she was Nellie Cooper, the woman with the photo I saw merely ten seconds ago. She was quite lovely in real life, too. Her bone-straight hair fell to the middle of her back, and she had a bright smile. Out of instinct, I stood when she entered, then wondered why I did so.

"This is Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America," Maria said. Nellie's smirk turned into a warm grin as she stuck her hand out.

"Nice to meet you, Captain," she said as we shook hands. "I'm Nellie Cooper. I've heard a lot about you."

"And I you," I answered, nodding my head slightly. "I assure you, Ma'am, the pleasure is all mine."

"Ah! Maria!" a male voice said from outside the plane. We turned to find Agent Coulson making his way into the plane, saying, "Oh, Captain Rogers, you're already here? Excellent, we can depart now. Are you ready, pilot?"

As we got settled into our seats, Nellie said, "I usually wake up around eleven, and I thought _I _was a late sleeper."

I chuckled, which was something I hadn't really done since I was defrosted. I don't know if it was the joke or just how…comfortable I felt with her, but I could sense we'd get along swell.

NELLIE

Steve and I were…clicking. We had only been in the plane for ten minutes, but we were already talking like old friends. Suddenly, I felt the plane change altitude- these instincts are built-in—and I asked Maria, "Already there?"

She gave me a curious look. "Correct. How did you know? The planes have the smoothest descent available."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm part bird, remember?"

She chuckled at her own mistake. "Right. Well, yes, we've arrived. If everyone else is aboard, Fury will call for everyone at the helm."

The plane hit the ground, and I quickly hoisted my duffel bag over my shoulder and shot off. Planes always made me uneasy- staying confined for too long doesn't really work out for someone who's used to flying in the open air. Steve stepped out right after me, followed by Maria and Coulson. Waiting for us was a woman with short, dark red hair and a serious face. She meant business. She was Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow: we had been paired for several missions. We were good friends, but we didn't really see much of each other. Behind her was a man in a sports jacket and slacks, squinting around the carrier. He seemed kind of timid, but familiar.

"Good to see you again, Agent Cooper. Hello there, Captain," she said, "I'm Agent Romanoff. Behind us is Dr. Bruce Banner." I recognized him from his file- he was the Hulk. That is one guy I would not want to mess with. A mechanical grindingwas heard, and Natasha said, "You three might want to step inside; it's going to get a little harder to breathe."

We were slowly making our way over to the edge of the carrier as Dr. Banner said, "You really want me in a submerged, sealed, pressurized container?" I involuntarily started taking deeper breaths: if you were used to flying around in open skies, would _you _really want to be trapped in a submarine? We reached the edge of the carrier, where a great big…_fan _rose out of the water. Ah, that's it- a Helicarrier! It wasn't a fan, but an engine. I had seen some blueprints for these once, back when they were still at the drawing board. Some of my nervousness dissipated: I'd still be sealed up, but at least I'd have good access to air.

"Even better," Dr. Banner muttered, and Natasha escorted us into the airship.

She led us to the bridge, where it seemed everyone on board was attending a computer. Natasha crouched down next to a computer that displayed a face I had come to know and love, a face that made me want to rip my heart out: it was Clint's. Fury stood at the helm, surrounded by his computer screens. He stepped down from his stage and approached me, grasping my shoulder in a comforting way.

"Thank you for joining us, Agent," he said. "I realize it took a great deal for you to come aboard. But with you, we're guaranteed to get Barton back."

My sadness was replaced by determination, my heartache with vengeance. "I'm not going back without him."

So far, it was just Bruce, Natasha, Steve, and I gathered at the meeting table. Fury paced in front of us as Banner asked, "Any luck with finding the Tesseract?"

"Not yet," answered Coulson from somewhere in the computer hub, "but we're sweeping every mobile camera, every phone, every laptop for either it or Loki. There's not a camera we can't see out of."

"Well, call every lab you know and tell them to set their spectrometers to pick up gamma radiation. That should eliminate a few places."

Fury said, "Romanoff, show the doctor where he'll be working."

As she led him out of the room, Natasha answered, "You'll love it, Doctor. We've got all the toys."

As they left, Steve turned to me and, noticing my melancholy, said, "Are you alright, Ma'am? Anything you want to talk about?"

I dropped into a chair as Steve leaned closer to me in his, concern filling his eyes. "The only reason I'm here is because Loki's taken Clint. He's my cousin. Clint's the only family I have left, and family doesn't abandon each other."

I started tearing up. Clint's one of the two people I truly care about- the other being Maria- and I don't think I'd be able to survive without him. When Steve saw me begin to cry- for one of the only times in my life- he got into a crouch and wrapped me in a big bear hug. His support felt good- no one outside of my family ever hugged me. When we separated, he said, "We're getting Agent Barton back, even if Loki's got him locked in chains beneath the ocean. We- you- are getting your cousin back, no matter what."

I wiped my eyes and stood up, so Steve wasn't stuck in his uncomfortable position. Regaining my composure, I said, "Thanks, Steve. I needed that."

"Definitely," Fury chimed in. "Before today, if Agent Cooper has ever cried, I haven't seen it. It takes a lot to break her down, even for a few seconds. Thank you, Captain Rogers."

"Don't thank me, Sir," Steve answered. "It was the right thing to do." He then turned fully to me and said, "Ma'am, I hope you feel better. And don't worry- Loki wasn't safe before, but for hurting you and your cousin, he's a dead man."

I smiled as a minuscule blush crept into my cheeks. "I'm going to thank you anyway, Steve. No one has ever spoken to me like that, not even Clint, I don't think. And by the way," I said, lightly punching his shoulder in a gesture of friendship, "you really don't have to address me as 'Ma'am' every single time we speak, you know; feel free to call me Nellie."

He smirked good-naturedly. "As you wish, Nellie."

"Alright, then," I said, turning to Fury. "What do you have in store for us?"

I nervously fixed my mask again and readjusted my utility belt, sighing apprehensively. Steve, Natasha, and I were suited up in a war plane, intercepting Loki in Stuttgart, Germany. Loki's goal was a store of iridium, which could stabilize the Tesseract and keep a universal portal open as long as he wants. We couldn't let that happen.

Steve had concerns of his own, too. This was his first mission since he woke up; he didn't want to screw it up, either.

"Hey," I said, nudging him gently with my elbow. His green eyes bored into mine, worried. "You don't have to worry much. You're genetically perfect- there's no way you can screw up."

"I've been asleep for seventy years- what if I lost my edge?"

"You're Captain-freaking-America. You've got muscles the size of planets, a shield that can't possibly be destroyed, and actual experience in battle. Loki's got a twig. That fight's been won before it's been started."

"Guys, we're just about there. Get ready to jump out," Natasha said from the cockpit.

I tightened my belt one last time as Steve tugged his mask over his head. I carefully extended my wings, making sure not to hit anything. They were huge, really: they were about as tall as me, and each wing resting was around two feet long. My full wingspan was around 15 feet. Awesome, right? Steve gazed at my wings- probably because there was no such thing as sci-fi in the 40's- and I noticed Natasha's very quick glance at them in the reflective section of the windshield.

"I know. Pretty sweet, huh?" I said, moving toward the door and preparing to jump.

Steve moved next to me and waited for Natasha's signal. Just before we got there, he said, "You forgot something before."

"What? Your punch of destruction? I thought I covered that in 'muscles the size of planets'."

"No," he said, staring directly at me. "You." And then he jumped.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Germany: The Only Place Someone Can Wear Antlers and Get Away With It

I blinked.

"Is…is he always like that?" I asked Natasha, a bit unsettled.

She was smirking. "No, actually. He's not much of a ladies' man. I've never seen him do something like that, be perfectly suave. You two are really clicking. Now will you please jump so we can get what we came for?"

I nodded and said, "When we get back, remind me to ask what the Hell Steve meant, alright?"

"Alright." And I ran out the door, wings spread.

I drifted down to a large courtyard where a ton of people were gathered, at least 75. There were only two people standing: Loki (in some weird demigod antler war gear) and Steve. They had begun to brawl, and just as Loki pressed the butt of his scepter to the back of Steve's neck, I swooped down and tackled the demigod, catching him by surprise. We flopped to the ground, where we struggled, until he zapped me with his scepter.

"Aaaauuggghhhh!" I yelled, rolling a few feet to the left. Most of the citizens were running away or had already scattered by now. At least we bought them some time. He got back up, pointed the sharp blade at me, effectively pinning me to the ground, and sneered. I tried very hard not to squirm under his stare, but my wing joints were aching from where they were pressed under me.

"You think a mutant is enough to stop me?" he snarled. Suddenly, a large blue arm came around his neck, and I quickly scrambled up as Steve distracted him. Steve's shield was sent to the ground, and I aimed a roundhouse kick at Loki's head. Loki caught my foot and flung me to the ground, but I quickly got back up and gave the demigod the meanest right hook I could muster. I could almost feel the whiplash I gave him. He lost his overconfidence, replaced by rage, and began grappling with me. We held each other apart by an arm's length, growling at each other, when I heard Steve yell, "Back!" Out of instinct, I leaned my neck back, and the next second, a metallic blur of red and blue flew by, knocking Loki to the ground. I picked up the shield and threw it back to Steve, preparing myself for Loki's next blow. Loki quickly picked up his scepter and aimed at both of us. Strangely, Steve moved to a spot slightly more in front of me, baring his shield more defensively. I guess it's a stuck-in-the-40's thing. Loki's scepter was charging up…I was drawing one of my Tasers…Steve took another step toward the demigod…

Suddenly, Natasha's plane starts blasting ACDC.

Loki's brow furrows and he lowers the scepter, and Steve and I back off a little, to see a red glare streaking through the night sky. I watched as the glare quickly became a man in a metal body suit, training all kinds of weapons on Loki, whose battle gear slowly disappeared, holding his hands up. A familiar voice said from inside the suit, "Stand down, Reindeer Games."

I smirked. If neither Steve nor I could subdue Loki, Iron Man could.

"Mr. Stark," Steve greeted.

"Captain," was Tony's curt reply.

"Tony!" I greeted cheerfully, catching his hand in a firm shake. "Haven't seen you in a while!" We were back in the plane, after Tony had finished hacking into it. We had arrested Loki, and were now holding him secure in the cabin, to be taken back to the carrier.

"Nellie!" he said "Long time, no see!" We had become close after he had helped co-invent my sound gun two years ago. We stayed in touch, but we never really saw each other. "How's that sound gun working out for you?"

"Fine, fine. Thanks for showing up in the nick of time."

"Thanks for being there. You've known me for four years, have worked with me for two, and have never let me even _talk _about your wings, but this kid dancing around in spandex gets to see them after day one?"

"Sir," Steve injected sternly, "Ms. Cooper never had a choice, and she only just showed me them, and-"

"Steve, relax," I said, turning partly to him. "He was joking. Loosen up! Anyway," I said, turning back to Tony, "did you do your research?"

"Thoroughly," he answered, to both Steve and I. "This glorified Barbie doll has a lot to answer for." Suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, momentarily blinding us.

"Guys, I don't know where this weird weather is coming from," Natasha said, brow furrowed. "I'd buckle up if I were you."

Loki had leaned out of his seat, peering cautiously out of the glass ceiling. Steve taunted, "What, afraid of a little lightning?"

Loki cryptically replied, "I'm not overly fond of what follows."

Suddenly, lightning erupted across the sky, accompanied by fierce rumbles of thunder. Something smashed onto the wing of the plane, which actually lost a few feet in altitude. The mechanical doors opened, and in came a figure with long hair, a silver hammer, and red cape. He snatched our prisoner up by the collar, defying the bonds we'd put on him, twirled his hammer, and launched himself out of the plane into the clouds—all in a matter of seconds.

After a few seconds of complete shock, everyone burst into action. Tony said, "We need to get to whoever he was. If he frees or kills Loki, the Tesseract's lost.

He was already preparing to jump out when Steve said, "Wait! We need a plan of attack!"

With his mask on, Tony's mechanically garbled voice said, "I have a plan: attack." And he rocketed off into the fog, leaving Natasha, Steve and I waiting.

Sighing with determination, I refastened my utility belt, took a pair of handcuffs, and stood at the edge of the door. Behind me, Steve began getting a backpack from one of the shelves. Our eyes met long enough for me to say, "See you on the ground, Steve!"

And I followed Tony out the door, trying to figure out who the Hell would jump on a plane like that.

I kept my wings folded tightly in their slits, gathering speed as I plummeted through the clouds. I saw a very small, bright speck in the darkness, and I followed it almost religiously. Once I sensed I was getting pretty close to the ground, I unfolded my wings carefully: whipping wings out when going approximately 150 miles an hour spells dislocated joints, to say the least. Once I had my wings fully out, I slowed down, carefully watching the brawl between Tony and the hammer-wielding fiend. Quietly, I reared up on the cliff where a dark-haired man- Loki- crouched, apparently watching the fight with great interest. He stood when I landed, holding his wrists close together, and said, "Alright; as you humans say, cuff me." Eyeing him warily, I snapped the handcuffs on, him smirking the whole time. How that stupid expression infuriated me! He possessed my cousin, endangered hundreds of people, killed several of them, and still had the nerve to _smirk._ I picked up a rock on the ground, pondered a second as I turned it over in my hands, and then slammed it into the side of his head, knocking him out. That took care of _that._

Leaving Loki on the ground, I launched myself off the cliff and drifted down, watching the battle carefully. I searched for an opening in the fight as I pulled out my sound gun and adjusted the range so it was not lethal, but would blow someone off his feet. Just as Blondie was about to launch himself at Tony, hammer raised high above his head, I fired my gun, blowing him cleanly off course into a tree ten feet away. As Tony caught his breath, I dropped down to the ground, keeping the gun trained on him, and I said, "Who the Hell are you?"

He got up, still wielding his hammer, and said, "Mortals, I am Thor, god of thunder! You dare not battle me!"

Letting out a massive war cry, he threw his hammer at me, and I couldn't back away fast enough. Tony slammed into me, aided by his thrusters, and we both landed in a heap three yards away from his hammer. Without a second thought, we scrambled back up and began preparing to strike again. Suddenly, Steve's shield came out of nowhere, backing all of us further away from each other.

Steve caught his shield from where he stood on a fallen tree and, meeting the three of us on the ground, said, "Now sir, if you'll please drop the hammer-"

"Wait! Bad move!" Tony interrupted. "He really likes his hammer!"

Thor had had enough. He launched himself at Steve, who ducked under his shield, and the resulting collision of Asgardian-weapon-against-indestructible-shield was like the explosion of a bomb. We were all thrown back as a huge force swept through the forest, picking up debris and probably creating new shrapnel. I couldn't see anything, and I only felt myself flying through the air. When the smoke cleared, I found myself half buried in rubble, all the trees around me reduced to dust. I had gone further away from everyone else- probably because my wings picked up more wind. I carefully walked back to the others, all shaken. We couldn't fight anymore- the blast had drained us.

"Well then," I said, holstering my sound gun, "Loki's knocked out and handcuffed on the cliff up there. How about we get back to Base?"

There were now seven people gathered around the table: Steve, Natasha, Bruce, Fury, Thor, Tony, and I. I had taken off my mask and withdrawn my wings, and now reclined in my chair. Tony, now out of his suit, took the same stance as me. Steve stood firmly behind me, Natasha hunched over the table, Bruce sat a few seats to my right, and Thor paced at the head of the table. Fury stood in the corner, watching us carefully. Loki was in a holding cell at the aft of the Helicarrier, designed to hold the Hulk. It was the safest place we could think of.

"Watch your tongue!" Thor said sternly after we had discussed Loki's criminal and deceptive nature. "Loki may be unreliable and dangerous, but he's my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days," Natasha said.

"He's adopted."

"What does he want?" I asked. "If we can keep everything out of his reach, no one else can get hurt."

"I cannot say what he plans to do," Thor answered in his gravelly voice. "But I may know what hopes to accomplish."

"Which is?"

"Revenge against me, and revenge against Asgard in general," he answered. "He wants to prove to our father that he can run a kingdom."

"How does he plan to prove himself?" Fury asked, coming further out of the shadows.

"All of Asgard thought he had died," Thor answered. "There is no knowing how."

"Hey, guys, any luck?" I asked, pausing at the edge of the door. Bruce looked up at me and said, "None yet, but we're getting close. Any progress with Loki?"

I sighed, rolled my eyes, and dropped into a chair. "He's about as friendly as a pissed-off rattlesnake. He keeps playing with us. I can't figure out what he wants. Natasha's in with him now; I couldn't stand him anymore. I just can't concentrate- all I can think of is what he did to Clint."

"Whoa," Tony said, furrowing his brow at the computer screen. "Nellie, would you know anything about this?"

I strode over as Tony swiveled the screen in my direction. It showed a diagram of the Tesseract, along with blueprints for weapons that far advanced our technology. The heading on the screen read, "Phase 2."

"I have no idea what this is, Tony," I said, scrutinizing the plans. "Does S.H.I.E.L.D. want to use the Tesseract militarily?"

"Why are you asking us?" Tony asked. "You're the agent here!"

Steve strode in. "Any closer?"

"Not yet," Tony answered. "But we found something else interesting that you might want to see."

"Get back to work," Steve ordered. "Finding the Tesseract is our number one priority. We can't get distracted."

"Cool it, Steve," I said. "Yeah, the Tesseract's important, but we're not sure what S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to do with it. I mean, why _is _S.H.I.E.L.D. in the energy business anyway? And Tony's the forerunner in clean energy—why didn't they call him in earlier? Why now? That's why we need you to look at this."

"That's why it should have stayed in the ocean," he replied sharply. As Fury, Natasha, and Thor entered, he said, "We have to focus."

Tony was getting stubborn. "Well, according to this, S.H.I.E.L.D. plans to incorporate the Tesseract's energy into nuclear weapons. I'd say that deserves consideration."

"You're getting off topic, Stark," Fury warned.

"How did you get into the database, anyway?" Natasha asked.

"Easily," Tony answered with a smirk.

"We need to focus!" Steve exclaimed. "And you," he said, rounding on Tony, "you're only here to find the Tesseract. You're cocky, rude, and ridiculous. Is everything a joke to you?"

"Funny things are."

"You're nothing but a man with a suit. Take away that suit, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. At least I have some originality. Everything that's special about you came from a bottle."

"Hey!" I sternly interjected. "When you say that about him, you say that about me. Watch it, Stark." And so we all began arguing about one thing or another, completely at odds.

"Put on the suit," Steve taunted.

Tony, for once in his life, looked uneasy. "Well, I don't-"

Steve continued, "Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds."

"I don't know-"

And then an explosion shook the Helicarrier and everyone inside.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- A Less-Than-Pleasant Family Reunion

Everyone was flung different ways: Natasha and Banner to the level below, Fury and Thor into the wall, and Tony, Steve and I near the doorway.

"Put on the suit," Steve said.

"Okay," Tony agreed.

I quickly found my way into the hall, where I approached Maria. "What's going on?"

"Engine three is down!" she exclaimed over the chaos. "If we lose another, we're going down!"

"Steve!" I exclaimed as he rushed across the room. He stopped in his tracks almost immediately, and I said, "Get Tony, and both of you meet me by engine three!"

"See you there!" he shouted back. I ran the opposite direction, out of the room, and onto the deck of the Helicarrier to investigate. Suddenly, a bullet came out of nowhere at me, and thankfully, it only grazed my shoulder. Cursing me for leaving my weapons inside, I dove behind a plane as more bullets shot at me. I quickly found the source: rogue soldiers in a fighter jet. Running like madness, I shot around the plane and, using my wings to help, leaped over the agents- they must have been possessed by Loki!

I smashed my boots into one of them, and he crumpled to the ground. Folding my wings in, I then stole his machine gun and began shooting others, until I came face to face with Clint.

We paused for a few moments, and I noted the supernatural, icy-blue color of his eyes. Then, with the other agents already spreading into the Helicarrier, we began struggling. He fended me off with his bow, but I was able to slam it into his chest, knocking him back a few feet. He lost his balance, but he got enough distance to grapple at his quiver, and I took the opportunity to radio my comrades.

"Steve, Tony," I said into my earpiece, "I might not make it in time!"

Clint fitted an arrow into his bow. I only had just enough time to dive to the side after he shot it just above me. Steve's voice said in my ear, "What's wrong?"

I shot up from my position on the ground as he got another arrow ready, but I lunged and snatched the arrow from his hands, breaking it in half. He hit me with his bow across the face and into my stomach, and as I punched Clint in the face, I answered Steve, "Family reunion."

"Can you handle it?" his voice resounded in my ear as Clint lowered his head and charged at me, picked me up around my middle, and shoved me over his shoulder, and I toppled into a sprawled heap behind him. I quickly gathered my wits and swung my leg out, making him collapse next to me. I smiled ruefully.

I took the opportunity to jump up and ready myself for my next move, and as he clumsily got back up, I answered Steve, "I'll be fine."

I launched myself at Clint, and we landed, sprawled in a heap again. We tumbled around like two lion cubs playing together, getting dangerously close to the edge, and I eventually had him pinned. It took all my strength to hold him down, but even as he fought, he kept a blank expression.

"Clint!" I gasped, weary of fighting him. We were mere feet from the edge of the Helicarrier. "Clint, please! I know you're in there, buddy! Stop! I know you don't really want to kill me!"

Clint rested for a second, eyes softening, and he furrowed his brow. "N-Nellie?" he asked, searching my face. I loosened my hold on him and weakly smiled, happy that I had him back- big mistake. He had a body spasm or something, his whole body seizing up and shaking. Then, if possible, his eyes grew even fiercer, and he began rolling us closer to the edge. He had me hanging by my fingertips on the edge, and the last time I glanced at his weird new eyes, I was falling about 15 feet per second back down to Earth.

It's right about now that I was really glad I had wings. I whipped them out, giving a painful grunt, and I could almost hear my bones groaning from the wind resistance. Using my momentum, I leveled out and flew straight for a while, barely heeding the protests from my slightly aching muscles, until I had control again, and then began flying straight back up. I soared up forty feet over the deck, searching for some hint of my cousin, but Clint was already long gone.

"Director Fury!" I said into my earpiece, scanning the deck for any more of Loki's circus monkeys. "Director Fury, Agent Barton is on board! Agent Barton is on board!"

"Agent Cooper, are you sure?"

I rolled my eyes. "I nearly just killed him, and he nearly killed me. I'm pretty sure."

"Can you tell where he went?"

"No, sir. He pushed me off the Helicarrier, and it took me a little bit to get back up."

"In that case, go aid Rogers and Stark."

"Yes, sir!"

I straightened out and slightly painfully made a beeline for engine three. Steve was standing by the controls, and Tony was pushing one of the blades of the engine to try and start it. "Stark, Rogers, come in!"

"Nellie! Is that you?"

"Yeah, Tony. What's the situation?"

"Well, I'm here trying to start the engine back up, but I think Cap has a few problems of his own."

"Rogers, are you alright?"

"More soldiers have come in! I'm holding them off, but I don't know how long I can!"

"I'm on my way!" I swooped down to the exploded engine, fragments breaking off and disappearing into the sky. I nearly collided with a flying 3 feet-by-6 feet sheet of metal myself, despite my best attempts. Steve was fighting off several soldiers, and after disarming one, tossed the machine gun to me. I was surprised I caught it midair, but I put my eye to it immediately and silenced the invaders coming in. We were pretty good partners: when I took a bullet wound to my already-sore wing, Steve tossed the shooter off the Helicarrier. When Steve began to get mobbed, I took out a few of his guys, something impossible without advanced eyes. Steve and I worked well as a team together, each getting the ones the other would miss. It was amazing, really. If Clint- the _real _Clint- and I tried to work together, we'd probably get into an argument eventually- we worked okay together, but we were really headstrong and couldn't agree on a plan. With Steve, it was a seamless arrangement- I have no idea why.

Now that we had thinned the influx of enemies coming in, I said, "Steve! Get back to whatever Tony needs you to do!"

"Can you handle them?" he yelled up to me.

"We can't lose two engines- get going!"

"Be careful!" He began climbing up to a red lever, and I stayed hovering, shooting the guards as needed. Suddenly, one of our opponents threw a grenade at me, and I tried to swoop out of the way, but my wings were too bulky and sore, the space too confined, and the wound straining me too much, to move quickly enough. As I tried to maneuver out of the way, Steve jumped in front of me, from one balcony to the next, knocking the grenade away from me. The grenade exploded, taking out the rest of our opponents out of the equation. I tossed the gun onto the balcony when Tony's voice buzzed in my ear.

"Steve! Nellie! I kind of need to get out of here!" he said. "Hello? Anyone listening?"

"Steve!" I called, laying eyes on a horrifying sight. Steve had landed on the balcony awkwardly and now dangled by a long cable into open air, and I instantly, and slightly painfully, made my way over to him. "Steve! Steve, hang on!" I yelled as I hovered in the air, trying to grasp his flailing hand.

Tony said, "Seriously, guys, it's getting really fast!"

"Nellie!" Steve shouted. "I'll be alright, but Tony won't be. That red lever over there can slow the engine down long enough for him to get out of there. Go help him- I can handle it!"

I gave him one last worried look, with him nodding reassuringly, and I flew toward the other side of the control room, sapping a lot of my strength. I pretty much crash-landed on the balcony, getting a little woozy, and pulled the lever with mostly my weight- I was getting tired. The wind from the engine slowed down, now producing a chopping sound, and I heard Tony fly away. I allowed myself one second of relief, and then launched myself toward Steve. I had to help him, too.

"Steve! Steve, I got you!" I said, finally taking his hand. I hauled him up using my remaining strength, how little left there may be. When he was finally back on the balcony, I was exhausted. I lay there, panting, the wound in my wing slowly bleeding out. I was usually okay on sustained, hours-long flights, because they were mostly just supporting my weight and gliding. Today, my wings had taken a lot of strain- whipping them out while already going down really fast, flying all across the Helicarrier, getting shot at. The hovering especially did a number on my wings- it may sound simple, but it took a lot of strength and power to stay in one place in the air, even with a reduced body weight. I was surprised I made it this long.

"Nellie!" Steve exclaimed. "Nellie, you're hurt!" He helped me into a sitting position and said, "Can you fold in you wings?"

"Well, only the tip is injured, so maybe," I said. I carefully folded them in, grunting as I did so. When I moved a bone that had gotten badly thrown out when I caught myself falling, I yelped painfully, involuntarily taking Steve's hand. Our eyes met when I did.

For a minute, I forgot about my pain. We just stared at each other for a few moments, getting lost in each other's eyes, each other's souls. I know it may sound really dramatic, but…that's what it felt like. I've always told myself that love is silly, and that I myself wouldn't ever experience it, but…it felt really good. I liked it.

"Now, just carefully stand up, with me," Steve soothed, grasping my hand even more tightly. He placed his other hand on the small of my back and got into a squatting position himself, and continued, "Alright, ready? One, two, three!"

Slowly, painfully, we rose, together. I leaned heavily against him, the pain in my wings still making my brain go fuzzy. "Careful, now," he said. While one arm supported my waist, his other hand gently probed my wing, searching for sore spots. Whenever I winced, he would tenderly prod the bone or muscle back into place, until my wings were able to be drawn into my back again without causing extreme pain.

"Thank you!" I said, feeling better already. The fuzziness in my head had gone down, too. "How did you do that?"

"I was a good student in biology when I went to school," he replied. "Now, be careful getting down from the ladder- I'll go first and help you down."

And we slowly, carefully made our way safely back into the Helicarrier, Steve never leaving my side. Eventually, we found a doctor that could help me, who commended Steve's already-excellent work. As he led me away to the infirmary, I snuck a glance behind me at my savior and smiled warmly.

The last thing I saw before I turned the corner was Steve smiling back.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- World in Jeopardy? Better Creepily Stare at My Crush

"Thank you, doctor," I said, standing up and flexing my wings. He had injected me with a fast-healing serum, so my bullet wound was gone now, and my joints were all back in the right places. "I'll come to you if I ever get hurt again."

"Thank Captain America," he said. "He did most of my work for me. Ah, it appears you have a visitor."

Natasha came briskly walking through the door. "Hello, Nellie," she said, almost smiling. "Feeling better?"

"Much," I replied. "How did the attack go?"

Natasha's face fell. "Loki unleashed the Hulk, who escaped. Thor was ejected from the Helicarrier by his brother. Coulson is dead. Loki escaped, but not before killing him."

The first thing I felt was loss. I liked Phil Coulson- he's a really good guy. He didn't deserve to die. I grew angrier as the doctor left the room. Loki's murderous ways must be put to a stop. Coulson was a good friend, and I wouldn't let Loki get away with this.

"How's- how's Clint?" I asked, getting the okay to leave the infirmary.

"Getting better," Natasha replied. "His body's flushing the spell out. I can take you to see him, if you like."

"Let's go."

She led me out of the room, through countless corridors, down tons of stairs, and finally into one of the lower levels of the Helicarrier. There, we found my cousin strapped to an inclined stretcher, grimacing and grunting as Loki's spell wore off.

"Thanks for saving him," I said, once Natasha had recounted her story. I didn't exactly know her and Clint's history- Clint was always very private about his love life- but I could tell something was up. Maybe it was Natasha's nature to fight, maybe he had made her bitter, maybe she wanted to save him- I don't know how she was able to defeat him. I know Iwould have been strong enough to beat Clint under _normal_ circumstances- indeed, I had beaten him before in training- but I don't think I could've today because…I knew he really wanted to kill me. I was okay with fighting criminals that would have liked me better dead, but I could barely deal with knowing my cousin- or shell of a cousin- hated me, let alone fight him. "I wasn't able to before. I definitely owe you one for this."

"Don't worry about it," she consoled. "I get it. If I needed to kill a part of my family, I don't think I could, either. Just make sure he doesn't go around following psycho-maniacs anymore, okay?"

I smirked. "Alright, it's a deal. Can we go in?"

"Of course." Natasha typed in a rapid sequence of numbers on a keypad by the door, which then made a metallic click and swung partly open. Natasha pushed it all the way open and led me into the small room, where we sat for hours, watching my cousin slowly recover.

I was slightly dozing on Natasha's shoulder, her arm wrapped around me comfortingly, when Clint first said my name.

"Nellie?" he muttered, eyes blinking incredibly fast. "Nellie, is that you?"

"Clint!" I gasped, rushing up next to him. "Clint, are you alright?"

"Better than I've been in a while," he replied. "Where am I?"

"In the custody of S.H.I.E.L.D.," replied Natasha.

Clint's brow furrowed, and he asked, "Tasha?"

In spite of herself, she displayed a tiny smile as she looked down to the floor. "Yeah, it's me."

Clint allowed himself a nostalgic smile, but his expression grew grim as he asked, "How many people did I kill?"

"Don't think like that," Natasha replied, pouring him a cup of water.

I threw an arm across his shoulders as I replied, "Yeah, it was all Loki. He was only using you. Not even Fury can blame you. You were only a puppet."

"That makes me feel so much better," he said, gulping the water down.

A slightly-awkward silence ensued after that, with Clint and Natasha sneaking sideways glances at each other. I could tell they wanted to speak alone, so I decided to let them.

"I better make sure Tony came out alright," I said, getting up from the stretcher and yawning. "He was, after all, stuck in that engine longer than he should have been."

"See you," Natasha said, not taking her eyes off Clint.

"Catch you later," Clint said to me. As I closed the door, I gave him a nearly-imperceptible wink.

"Was he married?" Steve's voice asked from where the Hulk's cell should be.

"Nah," Tony replied as I made my way out onto the walkway. There was a huge hole where we all became used to seeing the big glass cage. "Maybe there was a cellist."

"Her name was Angela Parker," I added somberly. They both turned, now aware of my presence. "They were supposed to be going to the New York Philharmonic together this weekend." While Tony nodded and went back to staring at nothing (he still had a soft spot for Coulson, even though the two didn't really get along), Steve walked over to me, one corner of his mouth turned up.

"Feeling better?" he asked, firmly embracing me and clapping me on the back at the same time.

"Much," I said, chin perched on his shoulder. We separated, and I continued, "You have a bright future in medicine, Mr. Rogers."

He fully smiled now, displaying perfect rows of teeth and lovely pink lips. His eyes were the best, though, accentuated by his ash-blond hair. I could stare at those blue-green orbs all day. His hands were so soft and so strong, like a man who could both rescue you from a burning building and tend to your wounds right after. My heart was racing right now, drinking in every last detail of him. I've only known Steve for a day or two, but…I was attracted to him. And I liked it.

"If you guys are finished imagining each other naked, would you listen to me?" Tony's voice rang somewhere at the edge of my consciousness.

Steve and I jumped, not realizing that we were entwined against each other. "I-I-I apologize, Ms. C-Cooper," he stuttered. "I sh-shouldn't have g-gotten carried away-"

"N-no, Steve," I replied, trying not to blush too heavily. "I-It's my fault. Don't worry about it."

Tony stared at us with a cocked eyebrow, studying us curiously. Then he shook his head and asked, "Alright, what does Loki want?"

"Death, destruction, total control of Earth," I said, shrugging. "The standard villain's demands."

"He's been playing games with us. Why?" Tony asked. "What could he get out of that? What could he benefit from?"

"Confusion," I answered. "But how does that help him?"

"By confusing us," Steve speculated, "he gets an advantage over us. We're disordered, and he's organized. Better to defeat a group of different people than one unit that knows how to work together."

"He wants us out of the equation," I said, eyes widening. "We're his biggest threat, so he needs to get rid of us."

"And not just that," Steve continued. "He's going to make a spectacle of himself. We all saw him preaching in Germany- he wants the public to fear him, not just the government."

"He needs to scare people into following him. He wants parades, celebrations. He wants monuments built to the sky with his name plastered!" Tony gave an impressed chuckle and hurried out of the room, muttering, "Son of a bitch!" and leaving Steve and I alone.

I was about to follow Tony out of the room when I felt a tug on my arm. "Nellie?" Steve asked. I turned around to see Steve averting his eyes and lightly gripping my arm.

"Yeah, Steve? Did you think of another brilliant conclusion?" I asked, smirking.

"N-no, but I have a question." He clasped his hands behind his back, moved a few inches closer to me, and, looking up at the ceiling, the floor, everywhere but my eyes, said, "Would you, um, consider going to dinner, uh, with-with me?"

My jaw dropped, and my eyes dried out until I remembered to blink again. I gave a cross between a gasp and a laugh and said, "Are- are you sure?"

He took a few steps back as his face fell. "If-if you're not interested, I understand, and-"

"No, no, no!" I said, approaching the man and taking both his hands. "No, it's just- I'm surprised, is all. I've never been asked out so elegantly. Steve, it would be an honor to go to dinner with you. I'd love it."

He broke into a relieved grin and said, "Thank you, Nellie. I assure you, the honor is all mine." We stood there, gazing at each other again, for a few moments, happiness rolling off our bodies like waves.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Tony called from the doorway. "There's a world that needs to be saved, and I'm pretty sure that's more important than a dinner date."

Steve and I exchanged a glance, half embarrassed, half surprised. After all, it's pretty hard to forget the fact that your planet is in jeopardy, even though we just did.

"Should we-"

"Yeah, let's go-"

"I thought so-"

We made our way down the hall, each splitting off to get our assorted gadgets. I ran to my room, buckled my belt and secured my weapons, pulled on my mask, and sprinted down to Clint's cell- I had never taken off my "super suit" in the first place- all in the space of about 60 seconds. I could only go faster if I had flown.

When I arrived, Steve was inside the cell, Natasha sitting on the stretcher. He asked, "Can you fly one of the planes here?"

Clint opened the door to the bathroom and, drying his hands on a towel, answered, "I can."

Steve looked to Tasha for confirmation; she nodded.

"Alright, then," I said, worming my way in. "Natasha, where are his weapons?"

"In here," she answered, opening a locker hidden in the wall with a code. Out came Clint's signature bow and technologically-advanced quiver, whose wielder strapped across his back. When he snapped out his compressible bow, he looked every bit like the Clint I knew, grew up with, and loved.

"It's about time!" Tony said, once we finally met him on the deck, all suited up. "Here, I've been guarding this plane for you guys. When we meet there, we'll figure something out, alright?"

Everyone agreed, and as we boarded the plane, I said, "Now let's go save the world."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Avengers, Assemble!

"Jesus, Clint!" I yelled as we climbed our way out of the now-destroyed plane. "Could you have flown any worse?"

"Forgive me for not being half bird, but we've got bigger problems," he snapped back.

We had just crash-landed in the middle of New York City, thanks to the Chitauri flooding in from a portal to space. Already, the destruction was massive, and we instantly began studying the opposition. The Chitauri were vicious creatures- all teeth, claws, and muscle. Suddenly, something along the lines of _giant terrifying alien space snake _came slither-floating out of the portal, dominating the city sky and striking fear into the citizens' hearts. It was pretty scary, seeing our enemies assembled like this. I hoped we would prevail.

"We've got to get everyone evacuated," I said. Losing no time at all, Steve had already given instructions to the police concerning evacuation. Tony had taken on the Space Snake, searching for a weak spot. Clint, Tasha, and I began fighting the more normal-sized Chitauri left and right, stopping at nothing to eliminate them. Sometime in between opponents we were joined by Thor, but he joined us so seamlessly it was a little bit until we noticed he was there. We were getting ready to face a new wave of Chitauri when, wearing clothes that were way too large for him, Banner arrived on a dinky little motorcycle, looking apologetic.

"This all seems horrible," Bruce said resignedly.

Tasha shrugged and said, "I've seen worse."

"Sorry," he said meekly, acknowledging his loss of control on the Helicarrier.

"No," she replied. "We could use a little worse."

"Stark," Steve said into his earpiece. "We got him."

"Banner?" Tony replied- we could hear whatever anyone said all the time. "Good. Tell him to suit up- I'm bringing the party to you."

Tony came flying around the corner, the Space Snake hot on his tail. "I don't see how that's a party," Tasha quipped. Bruce gave us one last glance and began trudging toward the Space Snake, determined.

"Banner!" Steve interjected. "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry."

"That's my secret, Cap'n," he replied, striding toward the opposition. As the Space Snake got alarmingly close, Banner turned back to us and finally revealed his secret. "I'm always angry," he said, shortly before transforming into the Hulk and punching the Snake in the snout, causing it to take a nose dive. Its armor shattered and fell to the ground in pieces. The Space Snake was coming apart.

"I'm impressed," I muttered.

"Hold on!" Tony's voice resounded in my ear. Seizing the opportunity, he fired a missile into a weak point. "Get down!"

"Clint!" I called as the Space Snake exploded inside out. I dove to his side for cover, and we crash-landed behind an overturned car. His strong arm shielded me as the shrapnel fell around us, and it reminded me of the missions we were partnered for. They were mostly just reconnaissance, and we'd end up hiding a lot of the time anyway. He'd always put my safety before his, no matter what I told him to do. I made it up to him, though- I'd always sweet-talk our way out of a sticky situation. I did the talking, he did the walking. Those were the days.

But now was no time to reminisce. It was safe now, and we all came back together in the middle, preparing to face whatever came next. I have to admit, the damage we inflicted already was impressive. There was a dead Space Snake in the middle of the street, with the other Chitauri emitting shrieks of anger. We had a lot ahead of us.

"Okay, team," Steve said, turning to us. "We've got to divide and conquer."

"What's the plan, Captain?" I said, pulling my sound gun out and adjusting the range.

"Stark, your primary concern is containment," he said, turning to the snarky superhero. "If any alien breaches a three-block radius, I want you to turn it back or turn it to ash.

"Barton," he continued, turning to my cousin, "I want you up on that roof. Report patterns and strays to Stark, and take as many as possible out of the equation."

"Good luck, Clint," I said, flashing him a lucky smile.

"Same to you," he replied, and we grasped each other's forearms in a vice- a ritual we carried out to wish each other luck, even when we were in the circus.

"I'll give you a ride," Tony said, face covered by his metal mask. "Hang on, Legolas." And he and my cousin rocketed into the sky, ready for action.

"Thor," Steve continued, facing the demigod. "You need to bottleneck that portal. You've got lightning on your side- show 'em what you're made of." Smirking, Thor swung his hammer around and it somehow carried him away. Eh, whatever- I'll ask him about it later.

"Tasha, you and I'll fight on the ground," he said, turning to the fiery-headed agent. "Try to get your hands on one of their own weapons.

"Nellie," he said, finally facing me, "you need to fight the aliens on those flying contraptions. Take out as many as possible, got it?"

"Got it," I said, shaking my wings out.

"And Hulk," he said. The big, green, mean machine swiveled his head to him, and Steve continued with a single word: "Smash." The Hulk's face contracted into an expression of vicious excitement, and he jumped onto a building like a monkey, holding three or four Chitauri in his huge green fist.

"Now I'm really impressed," I muttered. "Good luck, Steve," I said- Natasha was already fighting an alien, and I didn't think she'd appreciate a distraction. It was just us two now. I was turning away from him, but thought better of it, and did something that I probably wouldn't have done if I wasn't about to hang my life in the balance.

I turned around, grabbed the back of Steve's head, and kissed him.

I could sense his surprise, but he soon fell victim and began kissing back. I felt his hands lightly take hold of my arms, just barely pulling me closer. My other hand came up, and they both descended down to his shoulders. It was only three seconds or so, but we were out of breath when we separated. Then we chuckled and began bracing ourselves for action. We had a city to save- romance was for a later time.

"I better see you later," I said, backing up to a safe takeoff place.

"You can count on it," he quipped back. I winked at him, he saluted me, and I laughed again. Then I ran hard, lifted my wings, and took off into the air, with the feeling that I could defeat anything that came my way.

I rocketed up to my first target, a hover vehicle with three Chitauri. By the looks of it, one was hooked up to the thing itself- there was a long, fleshy cord extending from the back of its head and into the vehicle- and controlled its flight, and the other two were just along for the ride. I landed heavily on the contraption, attracting their attention.

"I may not have been raised by you guys," I said, trying to buy time. "But I seriously think you're doing it wrong."

The one closest to me snarled and launched itself at me, but I was able to react quickly enough. I grabbed hold of its arm- or whatever weird appendage it was technically called- and, using its own momentum, flung it over me and off the vehicle. The second one fired at me with its weird electro-staff, but it missed, and I killed him with a few rounds from my regular gun. Finally, I unsheathed one of my daggers hidden within my belt and sliced the cord connecting creature to contraption, after which I stabbed the monster itself and cast him over the edge. As the vehicle began spinning out of control, I launched myself off and searched for my next victims, adrenaline heightening my senses.

I could do this all day.

STEVE

Wow.

In a brief reprieve a while later, I caught my breath and thought about the kiss. It was…amazing, to say the least. I watched as she took out aircraft after aircraft, soaring from one group of aliens to the next. She really was gorgeous, hilarious, intelligent, and strong. I felt good when I was around her. I suddenly realized that I wasn't pining after Peggy as much anymore. Nellie had helped me heal without even realizing it. This woman was extraordinary.

"Steve!" Tasha said from my right. I whirled around to see her pretty much riding piggyback on one of the aliens, struggling for survival. "Quit staring at her or you'll get killed!"

"S-sorry, Ma'am!" I said, running at the next alien, slicing his neck with my shield. Once she freed herself from her opponent's shoulders, she took his weapon- a staff that would shoot plasma-like bolts out of the end. We came together back to back, fighting two aliens at once.

"Look," she said as she fired at her alien. "I know that kiss was unexpected, but if you don't keep concentrating, that'll be the last you ever get. So stay focused, got it?"

"Got it!" I replied as I killed my opponent, and we separated to keep fighting. She was right. I had to stay on my toes if I wanted to survive and see Nellie again. And even though we had only known each other a few days, I was compelled to make sure I lived. For her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- The Duel With the Demigod

NELLIE

I know I had taken too many fliers to keep track of out of commission, but it barely seemed to make a difference. I hadn't even made a dent in the army. They just kept streaming in from the portal, despite Thor's best efforts. Thankfully, Tony had helped with the ones that breached the perimeter, and Clint eliminated some that came in his direction. There was still a ton I had to take care of, though. Presently, I was hovering high above the city, trying to decipher which alien posed the greatest threat, when a hot plasma beam rushed right past my head.

I quickly spun around, unsheathed a dagger, and charged the offending Chitauri vehicle head-on. I collided with the pilot midair, thrusting the dagger into its neck. It gave a painful shriek and collapsed to the side while the single passenger jumped up and began launching his weird plasma beams at me from his staff. Wiping and sheathing the dagger with one hand, I pulled out my sound gun with the other, haphazardly spinning the intensity dial up with my thumb. Dodging one last beam, I pulled the trigger on the gun, and the resulting combination of honed directionality and raw power blew a hole clean through his chest cavity, effectively killing it. At the same time, it blew me right off the vehicle, and the blast surprised me so much I couldn't properly fly for a few seconds. Dazed and confused by my unforeseen flight, I haphazardly made my way to the rooftop Clint was perched on, so I could get my bearings.

"Nellie!" he exclaimed, jogging over after killing two more Chitauri. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "Knocked off course, that's all."

"Be careful," he said, helping me up and checking me over. "These things aren't going to let up anytime soon, and we can't lose anyone."

"Alright, Clint, I gotta get moving," I said, brushing the dust off my black feathers. "You doing alright up here?"

"I'm doing fine, but I think you have a more important target," he said, effortlessly taking out three fliers. "Loki's jumped onto one of the hover carts. Can you tail him?"

"Does a triangle have three sides?" I replied while flexing my wings, making sure I had no serious wounds. I can fight through the soreness. "I'll radio you if he comes into range."

"Hey, come here," he said. He enveloped me in a big bear hug, rocking back and forth together a few moments. "Don't get killed, alright?"

"Only if you don't," I said, separating and spreading my wings. "See you later!" I shouted as I ran off the edge of the building and after Loki, catching a great updraft and soaring above the city. Laughter bubbled up my throat- this is why I love to fly, moments like this. When you feel like there's no place you can't fly, that you're taller than even Mount Everest. I reached the needle of one of the skyscrapers that populate the city, grabbing hold and swinging around to land. I watched for any trace of antlers- Loki had his weird war gear on again- and I found just a flash of a green cape flying through the city, weaving in and out of the buildings in a haphazardly graceful way about seventy feet below me. I launched myself off the needle, ready for Loki to get his comeuppance.

I pretty much dive-bombed his vehicle, slamming into its floor full force. The back end fell a good three or four feet lower, Loki whirling around to see what caused the violent drop. He gestured to the pilot, who began steering the vehicle higher. I got up from my hands and knees as his expression went from alarm to cocky.

"Loki, you need to stand down," I said, pulling out my regular gun. My sound gun would need to cool down and recharge after executing a blast that big. "You're endangering too many people- this has got to stop."

He sneered at me, rolling his scepter between his fingers and palm. He tossed it to his other hand as he said, "Are _you_ going to appeal to my humanity? You believe you can accomplish anything by doing that?"

"I was stating a fact," I replied, keeping my face stern. "How could you appeal to someone's humanity if they don't have any?"

He gave a humorless laugh. "Funny. But war isn't a place for humor."

"You're right, which is why I'm ending it right now." I smashed the side of his head with my gun, firing at the Chitauri pilot. The demigod hurled himself at me, shoving the both of us off the aircraft, and it took all my strength and concentration to stay up. We struggled in midair, somewhere between hovering and falling, my mask getting ripped off in the process. There was no way to tell who was winning. Somehow we ended up sprawled a few yards away from each other on a rooftop, my wings nearly groaning in pain. I sprung quickly to my feet though—I had to be quick if I wanted the upper hand.

Loki had gotten to his feet, too. "You mere mortal, you believe you can stop me?"

"Yup!" I exclaimed, running at him, slamming into the demigod, and carrying us both into the window of the next building over—Tony's loft, Stark Tower.

We tumbled onto the floor, pushing each other away. Getting up, I aimed my gun at him again as he pointed his scepter at me. I could feel the breeze from the window behind me come in and ruffle my feathers. It was refreshing.

"Please, Loki," I nearly begged. "These citizens don't deserve the suffering you've given them. You can stop—you have to!"

"It's too late!" he exclaimed, almost looking regretful. "It's too late for anyone to stop it. But that doesn't mean I can't stop you!"

He fired his scepter at me, the bolt hitting me square in the stomach. It was so powerful it knocked me out of the window: a huge gap I had been standing five feet away from. I tried to flap my wings and get leverage on Loki, so I could swoop in and attack him again. _But they wouldn't move. _

"What?" I asked nobody. "What's going on?" Why can't my wings move? I couldn't even feel them! Loki- his stupid scepter must have done something to them! _He _immobilized my wings! He's going to kill me!

"Nellie!" Clint's voice hollered in my ear.

"No!" Steve yelled through the earpiece.

Suddenly, my body came into contact with- with _something, _catching me and absorbing my speed from the fall. Something warm and strong wrapped around me, and I saw a lot of green. When I regained my senses, I realized it was not a some_thing, _but some_one. _

"Banner!" I exclaimed, happy I was not dying. "Banner, if you can hear me, I owe you one!" The Hulk had caught me midair as he scaled the building, and was now setting me down on a nearby, lower rooftop. To Clint and Steve, I said, "I'm alright. Banner caught me. I'll see if I can get my wings working again." To the Hulk, I said, "If you're on your way to see Loki, tell him I said hello, alright?" The Hulk grunted and nodded, then made his way further up the structure. I guess Banner will just continue to surprise me.

I ran to the edge of the rooftop and holstered my gun, trying to figure out what to do next. I was regaining feeling in the tips of my feathers, and as I surveyed the damage done to the city, I experimentally shifted my wings, until only a few minutes later I had full control over them again. I guess Loki's scepter only stunned them for a few minutes. After a few short test flights, I launched myself back over the city, swooping over Steve and past Clint to let them know I was okay. I descended upon my next victims with renewed vigor, taking out the three riders without even landing on the aircraft, using my guns and Tasers. I continued in this manner for a while, but I was stopped short when Clint screamed in my earpiece, "Nellie, look out behind you!"

I swiveled around to see a Chitauri vehicle veering toward me, the pilot shrieking vindictively. There was no time for me to react any other way. I folded my wings in and dropped straight down. From fifty feet in the air.

As I fell to the ground, I withdrew my sound gun once again and fired, blowing the vehicle just enough off course to slam into a parking garage. I somersaulted in the air and landed on my belly, wings splayed after I had tried to slow myself down. I was so tired, my stamina dwindling, my energy nearly zapped. The wind was knocked out of me- how's _that_ for irony?- and I could barely lift myself from the ground. As durable as I was made to be, I couldn't go much longer. Our efforts were strong, but there was no end in sight. If anyone wanted to come kill me right now, I think I'd let them.

"Nellie!" Steve shouted. I felt strong hands tenderly grasp my waist and haul me into a standing position, and while I still was tired, I felt better once on my feet again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright, Steve," I said breathlessly. "Thank you for that. Wait, duck!" He instinctively dropped to his knee and I fired a bullet at an oncoming Chitauri, who had been raising his weird staff at the Captain. As the alien collapsed, dead, Steve rose again, awed.

"Thanks for _that,"_ he replied, and we both nodded and went back to fighting. I took off again, but this time I hovered at twenty five feet up, right in between the Chitauri on the ground and in the air, executing acrobatic flips and spins around my prey. I felt like a ninja dragon, swooping between vehicles and dive-bombing aliens. Thor and Steve fought on the ground; Natasha had taken over one of the Chitauri fliers and used it to get to the contraption that sustained the portal; Clint was taking out aliens left and right; the Hulk was, well…being the _Hulk_; and Tony was incinerating any Chitauri that crossed the lines. We were finally working together as a team.

But then Fury dropped the bombshell on us.

Literally.

"Avengers, there's a missile headed straight for you in a minute and thirty seconds," his stern, no-nonsense voice said in my ear. "The Council initiated it without my approval."

"That's why I hate the Council," I said, shooting two more Chitauri out of the air. As I reloaded, I hovered midair and tried to think of a solution.

"I've got an idea, Director," Tony's voice declared in my ear. "Let me at it."

"Are you crazy, Tony?" I hollered as I drop-kicked another alien away from me and firing my sound gun into his skull. Righting myself, I located the shiny red and gold suit- already on the far side of the city, placing himself under the belly of the missile and beginning to change its course. I tried to talk some sense into him. "Either it or the Chitauri will kill you!"

"That's why I'm going to kill two birds with one stone!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8- Into the Gauntlet

I hovered there for a moment as my stomach went cold and dropped. I had an idea of his intentions, but sincerely hoped to be wrong.

"You're- you're not serious, are you?" I asked, effortlessly Tasing yet another alien. There seemed to be less up here, so I concentrated fully on his plan. "You've got to be almost out of power!"

"I know, Nellie, I know!" he replied anxiously. He was coming closer, and I dropped a few yards lower to give him enough room. "But I'd rather I die than the whole of the human race."

He was nearly upon the city, now. I said grimly, "It was an honor collaborating with you, Mr. Stark."

"It was a pleasure knowing you, Ms. Cooper." And as he zoomed past, I saluted him.

I kept fighting in the air, but I also watched Tony fly through the city, slide up his tower, and steer the missile…_into the portal. _

It really was a brilliant plan- take the missile into the portal and destroy whatever base the Chitauri had. But I really didn't want to see him go. Despite his cockiness, he was a good friend.

My blows became more vicious as I waited for my friend to reappear, turning my fear into rage and funneling it into my muscles. I struck down each alien with one or two blows, and the longer Tony waited, the more fearsome I became.

I was marking my seventh kill in ten seconds when every single Chitauri dropped dead, shorting out like a toy robot that somebody spilled juice on. Steve's voice said, "Close it, Tasha." She didn't hesitate.

"No!" I exclaimed, climbing higher in the sky. As I slowly gathered speed, the portal collapsed upon itself, roiling like a pot of hot water. I struggled upwards, hoping that I could somehow go in and save him, even though the odds weren't in my favor. I was barely seventy feet up and the portal was nearly closed when out came Tony, flying fast.

"Tony!" I exclaimed, happy he survived. "That was awesome!" I said into my radio. When he didn't respond, I grew worried. "Tony? Tony, can you hear me?"

Nothing.

"Tony!" I hollered, soaring toward his falling- not flying- body. I had to save him- I wouldn't let anyone die.

Suddenly, a huge roar rattled what windows had remained in their places as the Hulk jumped from out of nowhere, caught Tony as he fell, and slammed into a skyscraper, using it to slow his descent. I shot down to the street, where the two had landed, and Thor had already ripped off the yellow mask.

"Tony!" I exclaimed breathlessly as I landed. Folding my wings in, I jogged up to him and collapsed onto my knees, my strength finally giving out. Steve had laid a comforting hand on my shoulder, gazing down at me with sorrowful eyes. I turned away, refusing to believe him.

His hand fell away as I shook Tony's shoulders and said, "Come on, man, wake up! You're not dead; you're not allowed to be dead!" When he still didn't stir, Steve lightly grasped my forearm and pulled me to my feet, dazed. I stared at Tony's body blankly, not able to connect the dots and accept the truth.

Suddenly, loudly, the Hulk roared, echoing around the city. Miraculously, Tony gave an instantaneous start and yelped, jolted awake. I laughed breathlessly with shock- he was alive!

His eyes darted around like a deer in headlights. "God! What happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me!" he said. I chuckled. "No? Good. You know, why don't we just take a day and not come in? I heard about this great shawarma restaurant around here we could go to. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."

We all laughed, happy that the battle was finally over. I threw my arms around Steve in a huge bear hug, which he returned. It was then I remembered something that, in hindsight, probably shouldn't have been forgotten.

"Clint!" I exclaimed, separating from Steve and unfolding my wings. "Um, alright, I'll be right back guys. Don't arrest Loki without me there, okay?"

"Meet you up there!" Steve called, waving. I saluted him and took off running, soaring higher and higher above the buildings. Now that I wasn't fighting for my life, flying felt good. I loved it and missed it. Why did I ever stop?

From below, I heard Tony cheer, "Woohoo! Go Magpie! Go Magpie!"

I smiled. After today's events, I decided to resume hero work. It took Clint getting captured for me to do the right thing and get involved, and I realized that I should have volunteered right away. It shouldn't take such an extreme. I decided that I'll do the right thing no matter what. It was the right thing to do.

Magpie was, officially, out of retirement.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9- Going our Separate Ways…For Now

Natasha and Thor each had a hand on one of Loki's elbows as they escorted him out of the car and into the center of the bridge. Natasha backed away next to Clint as I stepped forward, Thor respectfully giving me space.

I smirked tauntingly up at Loki. "That's what you get for trying to take over the world," I said, leaning to one side and cocking an eyebrow. I became serious for a minute, straightening up and glaring at him. "You mess with my family, and you mess with me. If I never see you again, Loki, it'll be _far _too soon. Never come back to Earth, or you'll have _us _to answer to."

He only glared at me—he was wearing a mouth brace that wouldn't allow him to speak. I stepped away and smiled as Steve's arm fell across my shoulder. I leaned against him, satisfied with a job well done. Natasha leaned back and whispered something to Clint, who only smiled. I smirked back and rolled my eyes.

Tony and Bruce were in the trunk of their car, carefully taking the Tesseract- in a transport cylinder the two geniuses designed to get the demigods to Asgard- out. Bruce handed it to Thor and Loki, the former nodding his thanks to all of us. Then Thor turned the handle, and the power of the Tesseract quickly sent them back to their world, leaving the rest of us standing in a circle, staring at nothing.

We all began making our goodbyes, disorderedly milling about the bridge. I started with the Black Widow. "It was nice seeing you again, Tasha," I said, shaking her hand.

"Nice to see you, too. We'll probably meet again for a mission soon," she replied, smiling.

I moved on to the Hulk. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Dr. Banner," I said, shaking his hand vigorously. "And thanks for saving my life."

"Call me Bruce, and the pleasure was all mine," he replied. "And I'm sure you would have done the same for me, if it were actually possible." I chuckled, nodded goodbye, and walked away.

Iron Man was next. "I'll probably see you soon, Tony," I said as we hugged.

He clapped me on the back and said, "Yeah, we'll get you guys back together as soon as Stark Tower's rebuilt. Pepper makes a great stew—yeah, we'll get you, Cap, and Legolas over for dinner."

I laughed. "Alright, see you, buddy," I said, still wearing a goofy smile on my face. I'm never going to get tired of him.

I approached Hawkeye last. "I know you're going to Chicago in a few days," I said, punching him in the shoulder. "You can't hide anything from me."

"Yeah, about that," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Tasha just surprised me with this trip, said she was going to San Francisco anyway, and that her flight had a stopover, and she offered me a seat on the plane, and—"

"Clint, relax!" I said, laughing. "Don't worry about it, it's alright. Just promise me you won't get possessed by any evil demigods while you're there. And get me a snow globe!"

He laughed, and I finally returned to Captain America's side. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing to his motorbike and offering his arm. We were going out for lunch, now that Earth was safe from evil Asgardian overlords. I had dressed up somewhat for the occasion- boot-cut jeans, a white blouse, fitted leather jacket, and ankle boots. I threaded my arm through his as he led me to the vehicle, and I swung my leg over the back seat as he settled into the front. As he started the motorbike up, I gave one last general wave to everyone else, some already driving away. I wrapped my arms around Steve's chest as the bike began moving, nestling my chin between his neck and shoulder.

When I first said yes to Maria that day at breakfast, I thought I was only going to try to rescue Clint, and even then I wasn't sure if I could do that. Not only did I save my cousin, I also helped save the world, regained my confidence as Magpie, and ended up going on a date with the world's first superhero. I'll thank my best friend next time I see her for convincing me to become an Avenger.

Now that I was one, I couldn't imagine being anything else.


End file.
